I read another LinkedIn post today from a prolific consultant where the first three words were “Companies need to…”. At its core is a recycled idea (stop benchmarking your competitors) laced with some spirited, low grade outrage.
We are the sum of our choices. In many ways, what we choose is a declaration of who we are and our choices even impact how we relate to each other.
For me, brands, and more particularly the cultures that support them, should be seen as belief systems rather than pure-play marketing systems.
I swiped this cartoon image from a wonderful TED Talk by Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing. If you are managing a brand, do yourself a favor and take some time to watch it. It has significant implications for brand marketers.
No doubt, when Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns, Jr., penned his letter to Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Biscotti demanding that linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo be silenced about his support of marriage equality, presumably by threatening his job, Burns had no idea what sort of rebuttal he was inviting. It didn’t take long for him to find out.
